Customs Thwarts Smuggling of 800kg of Ketamine in Anambas Waters
A joint task force consisting of Customs, the National Narcotics Board (BNN) of Indonesia, the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri), and the Riau Islands Regional Police has successfully thwarted the smuggling of approximately 800 kilograms of ketamine. The evidence was seized from the cargo ship MV Fuchangxing 1 during maritime surveillance operations in the Riau Islands and Natuna waters.
The Director General of Customs and Excise, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Djaka Budhi Utama, stated that this enforcement action was the result of synergy and information exchange between agencies. “Information from each agency is analysed together to determine targets and precise enforcement operational steps,” Djante said in an official statement in Batam on Tuesday.
The chronology of the enforcement began on Saturday (22/8), when the BC 30005 Patrol Ship Task Force identified the MV Fuchangxing 1 in the Anambas waters. The vessel was detected as a high-risk transport medium suspected of conducting ship-to-ship (STS) transfer activities with another vessel, the MT Ashley.
During the initial inspection, officers discovered 40 sacks containing ketamine with a total weight of 800kg. In addition to the evidence, the joint team detained 10 crew members of the MV Fuchangxing 1, consisting of nine Myanmar nationals and one Taiwanese national. They are strongly suspected of acting as cargo controllers within a transnational narcotics syndicate.
Officers also conducted further inspections of the MT Ashley using K-9 tracking dogs. Although no drugs were found on that vessel, officers seized vacuum sealing machines suspected of being used for packaging narcotics at sea. According to crew confessions, the vessel had previously been used for drug dropping activities in Taiwanese and Malaysian waters.
Currently, all suspects and evidence have been handed over to the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency for further investigation. The crew of the MV Fuchangxing 1 faces charges under Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health, with a maximum prison sentence of 12 years and a fine of Rp5 billion.
Meanwhile, six crew members of the MT Ashley, who are Indonesian citizens, are suspected of violating Law Number 66 of 2024 concerning Shipping. Djaka emphasised that this inter-agency collaboration is a concrete form of support for President’s ‘Asta Cita’ mission to protect the public from the threat of illegal smuggling.